A bottle brings me home One Shot
by the pen my sword
Summary: the drink brings him to another place it brings him home. One shot  for starvation forum about Haymitch


**This is a one shot for the forum Starvation. The prompt is, "reality is fake dreams are for real." So tell me if I should not enter this into a contest because it sucks or I should because it's half way decent. :) Oh and you should all know that this is like Catching fire never happened. The rebellion is just forming but no action has been taken.**

****"Just give me rum, give me a beer! And I'll love you my dear!" I yelled laughing as the crowd cheered.

Sitting at the greatest place ever I reached for yet another drink. I felt a hand reach down and grab my wrist.

Looking p through blurry vision I saw Katniss glaring down at me. I bubbled with laughter.

"Hellllllllllloooooooo deary whats wrong? Happy to see me?" I slurred.

Her nose wrinkled in one of disgust. She didn't understand she thought she did but she didn't.

"Haymitch you need to stop." She said angrily.

I laughed and took another swing from the bottle. The bottle was my savior the way to the dreams.

"Haymitch really you don't need to do this." Her voice hinted with worry.

Silly girl.

"Ah dear I don't need to do anything." I happily slurred.

"There's different ways to deal with it Haymitch." She said.

"Peeta he paints, I hunt there's ways to deal with it Haymitch."

"And I drink and drink and drink." I answered.

She got angry at this and threw her hands in the air. The bar had started to clear out give us space. They all knew what was going down this wasn't the first time.

The bar was my connection to the place where I wanted to spend my life. The place where I could slip away and see _her_.

In that place the hunger games didn't exist, no children died there was no capitol. In that place I didn't have to mentor hopeless cases. In that place I could smile. I wasn't in this body I was younger free.

The bar was the gateway to my life. District twelve is not my home its not even a place enjoy being. My home is only reachable by going to the bar. By chugging down as many whiskeys and run bottles as I can find.

And as I look up in the face of Katniss she tries to sympathize. But she doesn't see she doesn't know. She is surrounded by those she loves by those who care for her. At times she is to stupid to see the love plain on boy's faces.

She doesn't notice how her mother is filled with regret for not being there. She doesn't see how Gale wants to kill himself because he can't have her. She doesn't notice how prim has grown how she now protects Katniss.

She has so many people willing to risk their lives for her. People she doesn't even know would go to the end of the world to know she's safe. She takes it all for granted. I have one person in my life. One person I know understands me who knows everything about me.

She doesn't live in twelve or in any other district. She doesn't stay in the Capitol or in the woods. She exists in another world. She lives in the world that I can only get to by going to the bar. The bar is the gateway to see her. No one understands that I drink to see her.

I'm not an idiot I see what drinking is doing to me. I see how unhealthy I'm becoming but I couldn't care less. I was doing this to be with her to be with the one I love.

"Haymitch you're not an idiot why would you do this to yourself?" I smiled and looked up from the counter. Peeta was here now holding Katniss close to him.

I've always liked Peeta he knew things he was smart. Far smarter then her he understood though he understood everything.

"Peeta when did you get here?" I asked.

He frowned at me, "About twenty minutes ago we've been talking to you this whole time haven't you been listening?" he asked.

Ok maybe he wasn't that smart after all. I found myself laughing at the joke in my head. But then the scowl formed on my face. They understood what had been saying. This means I'm no where close to the place I wish to reach.

"Get me another few rounds will you?" I asked him.

Peeta scowled at me and Katniss threw her hands up.

"Haymitch you're killing yourself! And we need you to be fully sober by tomorrow." She said angrily.

Tomorrow? What was tomorrow? Oh the reaping it was time to go back on the train back to the capitol to be a mentor again. The three of us were mentoring together Capitols orders.

"I'm done Haymitch kill yourself for all I care! Just be there tomorrow." Katniss said angrily storming out off the bar.

I looked up at Peeta who shook his head.

"That's quite a girl you have there." I said sarcastically.

He sighed and placed a few coins on the counter near my hand.

"I don't really have her do I?" he remarked.

Poor boy was smart after all.

"I know you have your reasons for drinking you want to see somebody don't you? You have the girl you want just as much as I have Katniss." Peeta said dropping my coins on the counter.

"But answer me this Haymitch, would you rather live a lie in a place that doesn't exist then real life?"

I shook my head he didn't understand no one really understood.

"Reality is the lie Peeta the dreams are my real home. They aren't just dreams Peeta they are my life this right now is the dream or more of a nightmare. That is life. And each day I come here to this bar to get back to it. To get back to my real life." I answered.

Peeta didn't have any answer he just sighed again dropped some more coins and left the bar.

The next few hours were a blur of bottle after bottle. Finally I could hear the shatter of glass as a bottle fell to the floor. My vision started to fade and I smiled inwardly for I knew I was on my way. I closed my eyes seeing the bar for one last time.

When I opened them again I saw her. Her beautiful face and dark curls. The way her lips smiled when she saw me. I looked down to see myself. I saw the body of a younger me. I could breathe without trouble I was strong enough to do anything.

Maysilee laughed and leaned into kiss me.

I looked around saw the lush green fields and the lazy clouds in the sky. We were in a place where no one could touch us. There was no capitol there was no districts.

"Haymitch stop worrying your home now." She laughed and I had never heard a more beautiful sound.

I knew it wouldn't last for long soon I would be back in that nightmare. I would see again the bodies of children. But for now I was home.


End file.
